Reciprocating saw

ABSTRACT

A method of assembling a gearcase cover assembly of a reciprocating saw. The method includes providing a gearcase cover with a cylindrical opening and a receiving portion, providing a shaft with a yoke affixed to the shaft, inserting a first end of the shaft into the cylindrical opening and rotating the shaft such that a second end of the shaft sits in the receiving portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority and benefit to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/860,414, filed on Jun. 12, 2019, the entire contentsof which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a reciprocating saw and components,assemblies and methods of assembling the components. This may include agearcase for a reciprocating saw and a method of assembling areciprocating saw in a gearcase.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the DeWALT DCS367 reciprocating saw, the gearcase assembly requiressliding the shaft into the gearcase and assembling a yoke channel withscrews after the shaft has been slid into the gearcase.

In the Craftsman CMCS300 reciprocating saw, the yoke channel may beattached to the shaft before the shaft is inserted into the gearcase.However, the assembly relies upon two screwed on covers to secure theshaft in place. This may allow dust and debris into an end near theblade clamp and may also provide weak points.

According to a non-limiting aspect of the present application, it isdesired to provide a gearcase and shaft assembly that is both strong andeasy to assemble.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a reciprocating saw, agearcase cover, a gearcase cover assembly a gearcase assembly andmethods and components related thereto.

According to one aspect there is an exemplary embodiment of a method ofassembling a gearcase. A method of assembling a gearcase cover assemblyof a reciprocating saw, the method including providing a gearcase coverwith a cylindrical opening and a receiving portion; providing a shaftwith a yoke affixed to the shaft; inserting a first end of the shaftinto the cylindrical opening; and rotating the shaft such that a secondend of the shaft sits in the receiving portion.

The shaft further may further include a bearing affixed thereto.

The gearcase cover may include a bearing receiving portion.

The rotating the shaft may include rotating the shaft such that thebearing sits in the bearing receiving portion.

The method may further include securing a bearing cover to the gearcasecover.

The method may further comprise securing the bearing cover to thegearcase cover causes the shaft to be secured in the gearcase cover.

The bearing cover may secure the bearing in the bearing receivingportion.

The method may further include assembling a blade clamp assembly to thefirst end of the shaft.

According to another aspect, there is exemplary embodiment of areciprocating saw which includes a gearcase cover; and a shaft connectedto the gearcase cover. The gearcase cover may be integrally formed toinclude a first end including a cylindrical tube and a second endincluding a receiving portion with an open portion opposite thereceiving portion.

The gearcase cover may be integrally formed via casting.

The gearcase cover may be an integrally formed aluminum cast.

The reciprocating saw may further include a securing cover at oradjacent to the open portion.

The securing cover may be secured to the gearcase cover to secure theshaft in the gearcase cover.

The securing cover may be secured to the gearcase cover via screws.

The reciprocating saw may further include a yoke on the shaft.

The yoke may be welded to the shaft.

According to another aspect, there is an exemplary embodiment of areciprocating saw including a housing; a motor housed in the housing; auser-operable trigger configured to operate the motor; a blade clampdriven by the motor through a reciprocating shaft; and a gearcaseadjacent to the motor. The gearcase includes a base and a gearcasecover. The gearcase houses the shaft, a track roller bearing, acounterbalance and a pin that rotates with the track roller bearing. Thegearcase cover is integrally formed to include a first end including acylindrical tube and a second end including a receiving portion with anopen portion opposite the receiving portion.

The gearcase cover may be integrally formed via casting.

The gearcase cover may be an integrally formed aluminum cast.

The reciprocating saw may further include a securing cover at oradjacent to the open portion.

The securing cover may be secured to the gearcase cover.

The securing cover may be secured to the gearcase cover via screws.

The reciprocating saw may further include a yoke on the shaft.

The yoke may be welded to the shaft.

According to another aspect, there is an exemplary embodiment of areciprocating saw including a gearcase assembly. The gearcase assemblyincludes a gearcase cover and a reciprocating shaft. The reciprocatingshaft is secured to the gearcase cover in at least two locations alongthe reciprocating shaft. In a first location the reciprocating shaft issecured by a securing plate. In the second location the reciprocatingshaft is secured through a cylindrical opening in the gearcase cover.The gearcase cover may be a single integrally made piece, such as ametal casting. The metal casting may be an aluminum casting.

According to another aspect, there is an exemplary embodiment of amethod of assembly for a reciprocating saw. The method may includeforming a gearcase cover with an open end and a closed end; providing ashaft with a yoke channel; inserting a first end of the shaft into theclosed end of the gearcase cover; and rotating the shaft so that asecond end of the shaft fits into the open end of the gearcase cover.

The yoke channel may be welded onto the shaft.

The method may further comprise securing a securing cover to thegearcase cover to secure the shaft in the gearcase cover.

These and other aspects of various embodiments of the present invention,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. In one embodiment of the invention, the structuralcomponents illustrated herein are drawn to scale. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration and description only and are not intended as a definitionof the limits of the invention. In addition, it should be appreciatedthat structural features shown or described in any one embodiment hereincan be used in other embodiments as well. As used in the specificationand in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” includeplural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

All closed-ended (e.g., between A and B) and open-ended (greater than C)ranges of values disclosed herein explicitly include all ranges thatfall within or nest within such ranges. For example, a disclosed rangeof 1-10 is understood as also disclosing, among other ranged, 2-10, 1-9,3-9, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of embodiments of the present invention aswell as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made tothe following description which is to be used in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reciprocating saw according to anexemplary embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a cut-away side view of the exemplary embodiment of thereciprocating saw;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a motor and gearcase base of theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of a motor and gearcase base of theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a motor, gearcase base and internals ofthe exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of a motor, gearcase base andinternals of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a gearcase cover assembly of theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 is another view of the gearcase cover assembly of the exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a gearcase cover of the exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an assembly step of the gearcaseassembly of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a close up view of a portion of the gearcase assembly of theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a close up view of a portion of the gearcase assembly of theexemplary embodiment during a step of assembly;

FIG. 13 is another close up view of a portion of the gearcase assemblyof the exemplary embodiment during a step of assembly;

FIG. 14 is another close up view of a portion of the gearcase assemblyof the exemplary embodiment during a step of assembly;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the gearcase assembly of the exemplaryembodiment during a step of assembly;

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the blade clamp of theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the exemplary embodiment during a stepof assembly of the gearcase cover to the gearcase base;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a gearcase and motor assembly of theexemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the housing of the reciprocating saw ofthe exemplary embodiment being assembled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a reciprocating saw 100 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present application. The reciprocating saw 100includes a housing 10. The reciprocating saw further includes a handle12 to be gripped by a user. A battery receptacle 50 receives a batterypack for powering the reciprocating saw 100. The battery pack (notshown) may be a power tool battery pack which can provide power for anumber of different power tools in a power tool system. The battery packmay be a lithium-ion slide pack or another type of power tool batterypack.

A trigger 13 is located on the handle 12 and depressing the switchcauses the reciprocating saw 100 to operate. The trigger 13 may have alock-off feature. It may also be a variable speed switch or have variousvariable speed controls. At a front of the reciprocating saw 100 thereis a blade clamp 400. The blade clamp 400 is configured to hold areciprocating saw blade, for example, such as the blade shown in U.S.Pat. No. 8,210,081, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety. The reciprocating saw 100 also includes a shoe 450 to assistwith guiding and cutting.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the reciprocating saw 100 with part of thehousing 10 removed so that the internals are visible. As shown, thereciprocating saw 100 includes a motor 30. The motor 30 drives the bladeclamp 400 through a reciprocating saw shaft 300, discussed below. Asalso shown in FIG. 2 , the housing holds a gearcase 250 which includes agearcase cover assembly 200 and a base 230.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show perspective views of the motor 30 and gearcase base230. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the motor 30 and base 230 and FIG. 3shows the motor 30 and base 230 assembled with one another.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrates a track roller bearing 231, a counter balance232, and a pin 233 along with the motor 30 and base 230. FIG. 5illustrates an exploded view and FIG. 6 illustrates the assembled view.The track roller bearing 231 is driven by the motor 30 so that the trackroller bearing 231 rotates. The pin 233 is connected to the track rollerbearing 231 so that the pin 233 rotates along with the track rollerbearing 231. The counter balance 232 helps to minimize vibration duringuse.

FIGS. 7-14 illustrate the gearcase cover assembly 200. The gearcasecover assembly includes a gearcase cover 210. The gearcase cover 210 isshown by itself in FIG. 9 . The gearcase cover 210 includes acylindrical opening 220 through which the shaft 300 can project.Additionally, it has a rear receiving portion 235 which receives a rearend of the shaft 300 and a rear bearing receiving portion 236 whichholds a rear bearing 320.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the blade clamp 400 projects out of a frontof the gear case cover 210. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10-12 , a rear end301 of the shaft 300 fits into the rear receiving portion 235 of thecover 210. As shown in FIGS. 10-12 , the rear bearing 320 fits into therear bearing receiving portion 236. The bearing cover 330 fits over therear receiving portion 235 to hold the rear bearing 320 in the cover210. The cover 210 includes screw holes 332 and screws 331 secure thebearing cover 330 in place. The bearing cover 330 secures the rearbearing 320 in place and thus also secures the shaft 300 in place, andthe bearing cover 330 may also be referred to as a securing cover orplate.

The cover assembly 200 of FIGS. 7 and 8 is attached to the base 230 andmotor 30 assembly shown in FIG. 6 , as shown in FIGS. 2 and 19 . Whenassembled, the pin 233 engages yoke 310 that is fixed to the shaft 300.When the pin 233 rotates, the yoke (or yoke channel) 310 iscorrespondingly moved forward and backwards. Since the shaft 300 isconnected to the yoke 310 and the blade clamp 400 to the shaft 300, theshaft 300 and blade clamp 400 also move forward and backward in areciprocal motion. A blade held by the blade clamp 400 thus also movesin a reciprocating motion and can cut a workpiece such as a piece ofwood or a pipe.

FIG. 9 illustrates the gearcase cover 210 alone. The gearcase cover 210is formed integrally as a single piece. The gearcase cover 210 may bemade of metal, for example aluminum. Additionally, the gearcase cover210 may be made by casting. According to the exemplary embodiment, thegearcase cover 210 is an aluminum casting formed as a single piece.

As is shown in FIG. 9 , a forward end 212 of the gearcase cover 210includes the cylindrical opening 220. The cylindrical opening 220creates a cylindrical tube in the gearcase cover 210 through which theshaft 300 is inserted and extends. This cylindrical tube prevents radialtranslation of the shaft 300. That is, the shaft 300 may rotate aboutits axis. Additionally, the shaft 300 may move axially forward orrearward until it is secured in those directions. However, thecylindrical tube prevents radial translation of the shaft (i.e., thedirection out of the page in FIG. 8 ).

As also shown in FIG. 9 , in contrast to the forward end 212, at therear end 213 of the front cover 210, the cover 210 is open. Accordingly,as is shown in FIG. 10 , the shaft 300 with the yoke 310 and bearing 320can be rotated towards the cover 210 into place. In particular, theshaft 300 may be rotated from the position in FIG. 10 to the position inFIG. 11 . During this rotation, the shaft 300 may move further into orout of the cylindrical opening 220, though typically the shaft wouldmove further into the cylindrical opening 220 if there is any suchmovement.

As is shown in FIG. 11 , the rear end 301 of the shaft 300 and thebearing 320 and yoke 310 are not secured until the bearing cover 330 issecured in place with screws 331. Accordingly, the gearcase cover 210can be considered closed at the forward end 212 and open at and adjacentto the rear end 213.

Having the closed forward end 212 provides structural strength. The castaluminum tube provides greater strength than the bearing cover 330.Additionally, the cast aluminum cylindrical tube may prevent dust ordebris from entering the area. This may be important at the forward endas it is closest to the blade clamp 400 which will hold a reciprocatingsaw blade for cutting. There may be significant forces on this area ofthe shaft 300 as the shaft 330 reciprocates. Additionally, any dust ordebris may interfere with reciprocation of the shaft 300.

The open end near the rear end 213 allows for ease of assembly. Inparticular, it allows for the yoke 310 to be attached to the shaft 300(such as by welding) before the shaft 300 is assembled into the gearcasecover 210. Similarly, it allows the rear bearing 320 to be assembledonto the shaft 300 before the shaft is assembled into the gearcase cover210. In the prior art, the gearcase covers included either two closedportions which required a sliding shaft assembly and that the yoke besecured to the shaft after the shaft was assembled to a gearcase cover;or two open portions which did not provide for the structural strengthprovided by the cylindrical tube of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent application. The combination of open and closed portions of theexemplary embodiment of the present application provides both strengthand ease of assembly.

Assembly of the cover assembly will be discussed with respect to FIGS. 9to 15 . FIG. 9 illustrates the cover 210. The yoke 310 and the rearbearing 320 are assembled onto the shaft 300 before the shaft 300 isconnected to the cover 210. Then, as is shown in FIG. 10 , a forward end302 (FIG. 13 ) of the shaft 300 is inserted into the opening 220 of thecover 210. The opening 220 is a cylindrical through hole. As shown inFIG. 13 , the forward end 302 of the shaft 300 projects through theopening 220. The shaft 300 is then rotated towards the cover 210 fromthe position shown in FIG. 10 to the position shown in FIG. 11 such thatthe rear end 301 of the shaft 300 sits in the rear receiving portion235, the rear bearing 320 sits in rear bearing receiving portion 236,and the yoke 310 is aligned in the cover 210.

As shown in FIG. 12 , once the shaft 300 is in place in the cover 210 asshown in FIG. 11 , the bearing cover 330 can be placed over the rearbearing 320 and screwed into place with screws 331 that project throughholes in the bearing cover 330 into screw holes 232. The bearing cover330 is shown secured in place in, for example, FIGS. 8 and 15 .

As shown in FIG. 13 , a forward bearing 321 can then be inserted overthe forward end 302 of the shaft 300 into the opening 220 through theforward end of the opening. The forward bearing 321 is show in place inFIG. 14 .

After the forward bearing 321 is assembled, a locking assembly 360 canbe secured over the forward bearing 321 to lock the forward bearing 321in place. The locking assembly 360 is shown in an exploded view in FIG.14 and in the assembled position in FIG. 15 . The locking assembly 360includes a seal 361, felt 362 and a plate 363. Screws 364 secure theseal 361, felt 362 and plate 363. The seal 361 may be made of rubber orplastic, for example. The plate 363 may be made of metal, for example.

After the locking assembly 360 is secured to the assembled position, theblade clamp 400 mechanism may be assembled to the forward end 302 of theshaft 300. The components of the blade clamp mechanism 400 are shown inFIG. 16 , and consist of a collar rotation pin 401, blade retention pin402, blade sleeve 403, torsion spring 404, cam collar 405 and spiralring 406. After the blade clamp 400 is assembled, the cover assembly 200is complete and is ready to be attached to the base 230 and motor 30.

FIG. 17 illustrates the cover assembly 200 ready to be assembled withthe base 230 and FIG. 18 shows the cover assembly 200 assembled with thebase 230. As shown in FIG. 17 , the cover assembly 200 may be assembledover the top of the base 230 and attached to the base 230 with screws371. FIG. 18 illustrates it as assembled.

FIG. 19 then shows that two sides of the housing 10 are screwed togetherto assemble the reciprocating saw 100.

Although the present technology has been described in detail for thepurpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be themost practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood thatsuch detail is solely for that purpose and that the technology is notlimited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intendedto cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to beunderstood that the present technology contemplates that, to the extentpossible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined withone or more features of any other embodiment.

Additionally, while the exemplary embodiment is described with respectto a reciprocating saw, the methods and configurations may also apply toor encompass other power tools such as other saws or cutting devices.Such other saws may include, for example, jigsaws.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reciprocating saw, comprising: a housing; amotor housed in the housing: a user-operable trigger configured tooperate the motor; a blade clamp driven by the motor through areciprocating shaft, the shaft having a first end coupled to the bladeclamp to couple to a blade and a second end opposed to the first end; agearcase comprising a gearcase base and a gearcase cover, the gearcasecover formed to include a first end including a cylindrical tube and asecond end including a receiving cavity having an open face and anintermediate cavity between the cylindrical tube and the receivingcavity; the first end of the reciprocating shaft received in a firstopening of the cylindrical tube adjacent to the intermediate cavity,extending through the cylindrical tube and out of a second opening ofthe cylindrical tube opposed to the first opening of the cylindricaltube and the second end of the reciprocating shaft received in thereceiving cavity; and a bearing received in the second opening of thecylindrical tube.
 2. The reciprocating saw of claim 1, wherein thegearcase cover is integrally formed via casting.
 3. The reciprocatingsaw of claim 2, wherein the gearcase cover is an integrally formedaluminum cast.
 4. The reciprocating saw of claim 1, further comprising asecuring cover at or adjacent to the open portion; wherein the securingcover is secured to the gearcase cover.
 5. The reciprocating saw ofclaim 4, wherein the securing cover is secured to the gearcase cover viascrews.
 6. The reciprocating saw of claim 1, further comprising a yokeon the reciprocating shaft.
 7. The reciprocating saw of claim 6, whereinthe yoke is welded to the reciprocating shaft.
 8. A reciprocating sawcomprising: a housing; a motor housed in the housing; a user-operabletrigger configured to operate the motor; a blade clamp driven by themotor through a reciprocating shaft, the shaft having a first endcoupled to the blade clamp to couple to a blade and a second end opposedto the first end; a gearcase adjacent to the motor, the gearcaseincluding a base and a gearcase cover; the gearcase housing the shaft, atrack roller bearing, a counterbalance, and a pin that rotates with thetrack roller bearing; wherein the gearcase cover is integrally formedand comprises a first end including an opening through which the firstend of the shaft projects and a second end comprising a receivingportion in which the second end of the shaft is received; and a bearingreceived in the opening.
 9. The reciprocating saw of claim 8, whereinthe gearcase cover is integrally formed via casting.
 10. Thereciprocating saw of claim 9, wherein the gearcase cover is anintegrally formed aluminum cast.
 11. The reciprocating saw of claim 8,further comprising a securing cover at or adjacent to the open portion;wherein the securing cover is secured to the gearcase cover.
 12. Thereciprocating saw of claim 11, wherein the securing cover is secured tothe gearcase cover via screws.
 13. The reciprocating saw of claim 8,further comprising a yoke on the shaft.
 14. The reciprocating saw ofclaim 13, wherein the yoke is welded to the shaft.